“Did you have Shay in the story to show readers what usually happens to feral children?”

What a perceptive question. That is exactly what Shay is doing in this story. Her behavior is typical of feral children. Scientists have discovered that once feral children reach adolescence it is very difficult, if not impossible, to socialize them. One of the reasons I decided to place Mila with dolphins is because dolphins have complex language and social structure and if they were to raise a feral child, I believed, from my research, that there was hope that child might more easily re-enter human society.